SONG
by Pugnatious
Summary: Someone Overheard Nurturing Girl
1. Chapter 1

**This is when they're in high school, so they're using their real names. If you don't know their real names, you should consider Googling it. Also, the song is 'Crazy Dreams'**

* * *

A tangled shock of curly, red hair dashed about the sparkling morning grass in the light of the full moon. Pale, bare feet padded over the fallen leaves and carried the owner of the crimson hair over to a wooden picnic table that was donated by some charity or another. Emerald eyes flicked from left to right, scanning the area in the unlikely case that anyone else was at the park at four in the morning. There was, of course, no one. A happy grin lit up freckled features and smiling lips parted to give forth a lilting, Irish voice. "I had a dream last night that I held you And you still seemed as handsome to me But when I awoke I found you missin' It's just another crazy dream for me"-" A rustle in the distance breaks concentration and a figure silhouette sends a flash of red and green across the dew-soaked field.

"Fanny? What is so important that you had to call me before five in the morning?" Rachel grumbled into her phone as she sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Rachel, I didn't know who else to call." Fanny, though apologetic, was notably relieved to hear Rachel's voice.

She rolled her eyes even though Fanny couldn't see her. "Fanny, mine is the only number you have, who else did you think you were going to call?"

There was a pause before she answered. "I just had a total meltdown. I think someone was watching me sing in the park." If anyone besides Rachel knew how much she enjoyed singing, then the entire school could end up knowing. She was blushing at the thought of a single person knowing.

Rachel sighed on the other end. "Okay, where are you?" It wasn't uncommon for Fanny to wake up super early and practice singing in the park before going to school. It was one of the stranger habits that she harbored.

"I'm sitting outside the gym at school." The thing about Fanny is that the more she feels, the more Irish she sounds.

Her accent was more pronounced than normal and that's what tipped Rachel off. "I'll be over in ten minutes."

* * *

It was the end of fifth block by the time Fanny was reminded of her early morning panic attack. She was just leaving her drama class when Mr. Shields asked her to hang back and speak with him. "Ms. Fulbright, are you aware that you are failing my class?"

She lowered her eyes to the ground. "Yes, sir."

"Well," he continued. "I always hate to fail a student, so I've decided to give you one last chance to bring up your grade." She looked hopeful when he said this but said nothing. "Now, it has come to my attention that you have quite the singing voice."

Her entire face flushed red. "What?"

"In order to bring your grade back up," he continued obliviously, "I am making it mandatory for you to sing in this year's Culture Shock assembly." Culture shock was a yearly assembly where the principal tried to do a kind of culture equality type thing and have someone of each race perform a traditional song.

Now she was white as a sheet. "But-"

"No 'buts' Ms. Fulbright. You can pick your own song, but you simply must sing in the assembly if you want to pass this class."

A light shade of green crept over her features but she managed to keep her composure. "Please excuse me for a moment." She didn't wait for him to say another word. As quick as her legs could carry her, she pelted out of the building and made a beeline for Rachel's car. Rachel stood there talking to Abby while she waited for Fanny to arrive so that she could drive her home. Fanny overshot her target, slipped on a rock, skidded on the pavement, and ripped her left pant leg all the way down. It was not her best moment, but she was freaking out too much to care.

Blood poured out of her knee as Rachel helped her up and tried to make her calm down. "What's gotten into you? Sit still and let me see your knee."

"I don't care about my bleeding knee!" It was the ironic phrasing and the thick accent that got her attention. "I'm completely freaking out!"

She sighed. "I can see that. What do you want to do?"

"Call the others, I think we need to have a slumber party." Fanny only had slumber parties when there was an extreme crisis. Something really upsetting had to have happened for her to ask other people to come over to her house. This was serious.

* * *

 **Initiate Slumber Party. Slumber Party Activated.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Warning: funny content.**

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"So what's she mad about this time?" Kuki asked as she made her way down the driveway to Fanny's front door alongside Abby and Rachel. It was around 6 o'clock.

Rachel shook her head. "I don't know. She didn't look mad so much as she looked like she was about to puke."

Abby made a face and ran the doorbell. "Well I ain't holdin' her hair back."

It was only a few moments before the door opened to reveal Mrs. Fulbright in all her motherly glory. "Good afternoon, girls! My dear Fanny's in the kitchen baking ginger snaps. You can leave your bags in the living room." Being her friends, they were pretty much immune to the hilarity of Fanny's name by now. She led them inside before retiring upstairs for the night.

Before the three girls were able to enter the sweet-smelling kitchen, two redheaded masses tumbled out of the doorway and onto the floor. This was accompanied by the sweet-sounding voice of their sister: Fanny. "I'll bring some ginger snaps up when they're done. Go find something else to do, for now." Despite Shaun and Patrick being both taller and broader than her, Fanny was still the muscles of the family.

Everyone laughed as they carefully stepped over the sweet-toothed teens and into the kitchen. Her flaming hair was tied back in a ponytail. Her green t-shirt and orange shorts were covered with a crisp, white apron. She limped slightly on her left leg, but looked relieved to see them. "I'm so glad to see you girls. I've got a serious problem, right now."

Abby nodded in agreement. "You're baking ginger snaps, girl, everybody knows that means trouble." She had always been prone to stress-baking.

Now, Rachel took charge. Taking hold of her shoulders, she steered Fanny over t the kitchen table and landed her in a wooden chair. Once everyone was seated, she asked, "What's wrong, Fanny? We're here to help."

She took a deep breath, fiddled with her hands for a moment, and chewed her lower lip before she finally spoke in a small, shaky voice. "I'm singing in this year's Culture Shock." Kuki asked her to repeat herself, not believing what she had heard. Slightly louder, she repeated, "I'm singing in this year's Culture Shock."

There was a pause in which the oven timer beeped and Fanny got up to take the snaps out. Abby spoke first. "Um, why?"

She didn't answer, but set the snaps on the counter. Rachel added to Abby's inquiry. "Fanny, you hate singing in front of people!" It wasn't a question, it was a fact.

With a great sniff, she answered "I know" and lay her head down on the counter to add a few tears to the shame of her weakness.

All three were stunned but it was Kuki's compassionate nature that drove her to stand and embrace her, usually so strong, friend. "It's okay, Fanny. We're going to help you, that's what we're here for." It wasn't much, but when she offered her upset companion a tissue she got a small smile.

"Thank you, Kuki, I didn't mean to start cryin' like that." She actually didn't mean to cry at all, but it could not be helped.

Abby was probably the least close to Fanny but, when she heard the raw emotion in that Irish voice, got up to give her a hug as well. "Ain't no shame in it, baby."

Finally, Rachel joined the cuddle puddle. "I know you're upset, but I think we're going to need a few more details about this. I mean, why are you doing it if you know you hate singing in front of people?"

Here, her crimson brows dipped down in a familiar angry expression. "Someone's been taping me sing!" It only just occurred to her that, in order for Mr. Shields to have known that she could sing, someone had to have been recording her while she was at the park! There being the only place she sang. The mere thought of someone watching her, undetected, filled her with rage and disgust.

At the worst possible moment, Shaun popped his head in to see if the treats were ready to be eaten. "Are the ginger snaps done yet?"

Fanny's face flushed red, which made her golden freckles stand out brilliantly. "Just take the bloody snaps and get out of here, Shaun!" He did just that.

* * *

 **"My dear Fanny's in the kitchen baking ginger snaps." Enough said.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm sorry for not getting this chapter out sooner but I was in the hospital after getting run over-I'm recovering well- and they wouldn't bring me a flipping computer. Also, I can't remember what the song is called, but you can look it up if you want.**

* * *

The day of the Culture Shock rolled around faster than anything had ever done before. It took a lot of negotiating, but the time finally came for Fanny to take the stage. A shroud was lifted across the stage to mask her face from view and she took a deep breath and sang with a voice that had been well-practiced in the solitude of the park. "In the jail that held Mc Swiney

In the prison where he died

Lies two daughters of old Ireland

And they fill my heart with pride

For I know that England wishes

That we´d let them die alone

But the voice of dear old Ireland

Cries for us to bring them home

Hear it ring on the air

It´s the voice of my country so fair

Can´t you feel can´t you see

Irishmen will set them free

Twas the love of dear old Ireland

Brought them to a prison hell

But the ghosts of Pearse and Connolly

Filled their lonely prison cell

Clarke and Plunkett stand beside them

Mc Donagh Mc Dermott and Wolfe Tone

And all the voices of old Ireland

Cry for us to bring them home

So I pray you men of Ireland

Don´t betray our daughters true

Proudly stand beside our heroes

Lest they die for me and you

Though the tyrant would deny us

We can break their hearts of stone

And all of Ireland will be singing

When we bring our daughters home"

As the last note died and the curtain came to a close, she bolted off to stage right. She only barely made it to a nearby trashcan before spewing the contents of her stomach on top of the garbage that resided there. As she coughed up her entire day's sustenance, a pair of strong hands pulled her red hair back with a gentle touch. At first, she thought it was Rachel but they were much too large to be her. Confused, she looked around to see who it was.

The dark-skinned man who stood behind her was big in both the sense that he was tall and that he was quite broad. He looked as if he belonged on the football field as an offensive tackle. It was his face, however, that held Fanny's attention. His hair was close-shaven and his nose was slightly crooked, but his brown eyes were soft and expressed only concern. "Are you alright?" His deep voice was also soft and worried.

"I-" That one song must have drained her quite a bit because she soon found her knees buckling under the stress of the ordeal that she had been forced to undergo. Though she fell, she never hit the ground. A large pair of strong arms lifted her from her fall and bore her out of the dreaded auditorium.

The only one who noticed Fanny being carried out of the room was Rachel; she quickly followed with a sort of indignant exclamation. "Hey! That's my friend you're taking! Where do you think you're going with her?" She ran to catch up with the large teen whose steady strides were considerably longer than her's.

He answered as though it was obvious. "I saw her throw up a moment ago, I think she's sick. I'm taking her to the nurse's office." He'd paused when he heard her but it was evident that he wanted to continue on his path to assist Fanny who had strangely not stirred since swooning.

She'd rather do it herself, knowing that Fanny had trouble trusting boys, but Rachel rationalized that it would be much easier if he carried her and so agreed. "Okay, but I'm coming, too." The strange procession headed off to the nurse and the Reader would spend the next week trying to figure out who the guy was and where he would fit into the rest of the story. Do not be discouraged, dear Reader, the truth will soon be revealed- sooner than last-time.

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 **No hints, but you will see more of this man. Poor Fanny.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry about the wait.**

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Once Fanny came to it was to see a large man that she recognized from the stage talking to the school nurse while Rachel sat by her side with a somewhat tired expression. With a somewhat unnatural returning of energy, Fanny sat up and asked Rachel, "What happened, how'd I do?" She may not have been too keen to perform, but she was still anxious to know if she'd performed well.

Rachel rolled her eyes and answered an a manner that did not quite fulfill the question that Fanny posed. "You threw up in a trash can and passed out. This guy had to carry you all the way here." Here she gestured toward the male with a significant tone.

Fanny looked toward the man with an angry expression but didn't get a chance to tell him off for basically nothing like she usually would. With a soft voice and a ducked head he said to Fanny, "I hope you're alright. You have a beautiful singing voice."

That was a surprise and poor Fanny couldn't think of any response other than "What?"

Beside her, Rachel chuckled. "He said you sing nice."

She crossed her arms and got a bit red in the face. "I know what he said, I heard. Who is he, anyway? Who are you? What are you even doing here?"

His expression was apologetic when he replied. "My name is William. It's very nice to meet you." He held out his hand for the purpose of taking her own and noticed her hesitate for a moment. **(A/N: I Realized a moment ago that once Fanny had been de-commissioned she would, theoretically, have lost her distrust of boys. However, as I much prefer her character as is, I decided to refrain from attempting to write her in an attitude that seemed against the programming of the series. Thank you.)** Then she carefully placed her small hand in his large one. She had expected him to shake, but instead he pressed his lips firmly to her pale knuckles. Needless to say she recoiled fairly quickly and was even faster in repaying him with a powerful punch to the lower jaw.

* * *

"Do you even think before you do these things?! Do you even have a thought process?" The principal was unusually furious at Fanny when he was told how she'd knocked-out a transfer student after he'd carried her to the nurse's office for, as far as could be seen, no apparent reason. "Ms. Fulbright, I have to know, what went through your mind when you decided that violence was the best course of action?"

For once, the small redhead did not return the anger presented to her. "Well it's not like I did it on purpose. He took me by surprise, that's all. I fully intend on apologizing once the daft bugger wakes up." She casually examined a random pen as she spoke and leaned back in the plush red-velvet chair that faced the principal's wooden desk.

Her calm countenance and readiness to admit her mistake threw the school staff member for a major loop and he was half-convinced that he was dreaming. "So you didn't mean to hit him?" She shook her head. "And you're sorry that you did?" Fanny nodded. As the poor confused man could think of nothing else that was relevant to the situation, he simply said after a moment, "Alright, then I guess that will be all. You're dismissed."

* * *

After that it was back to the nurse for the tired ginger and she walked in just in time to see the nurse taking an ice pack to his left cheek. He crookedly smiled at her as she entered but the nurse was less amused. "Fanny, sweetheart, unless you're here for a reason I really think you should go to class. I think this poor boy has had enough for one day."

Fanny honestly hadn't been thinking of class but, since Culture Shock was still going on, she really had no need to anyway. "Mark it on your calendar: I'm apologizing."

The nurse then performed the classic cartoon jaw drop where her jaw fell completely to the floor and then dropped down from the ceiling to land on top of her head. "Are you okay, honey, because I can call your mom if you need me to." **(Yeah, Fanny doesn't really like to apologize.)**

"Just go mark the calendar and write him an excuse." She shewed the nurse away and faced said boy whom she just remembered was named William. "I didn't even hit you that hard, so I'm only a wee bit sorry. It was your bloody fault anyway."

Now that she could see him properly she noted that he was dressed like a mama's boy. He had on a white long-sleeved button-down shirt with a long red tie and a blue vest. He wore black slacks and loafers like some big shot on his way to church but he spoke like a wary pauper. "I really am sorry, ma'am, I didn't mean to upset you. 'Specially after you fell ill like you did."

A drop of water fell down from the bag of ice that he was clumsily holding to his cheek and Fanny rolled her green eyes. She could tell that he didn't know what he was doing so she got a paper towel and arranged it between his skin and the bag. As she did so she said to him, "You daffy boy you can't just randomly kiss someone like that: you'll get yourself into trouble."

William had the most apologetic expression on his face but defended his actions. "Mother taught to treat others with respect and to always greet a lady with a kiss on the hand when you introduce yourself. I guess I didn't realize I would be offending you."

Now that was adorable and not even Fanny's cold biased heart could help but warm at this old-fashioned-ly-taught boy of about seventeen trying his hand at social interaction. That was what made her sigh and answer, "It's alright."

Then he gave her a crooked smile. "I'm sorry, so what's your name, then, please?"

Again she hesitated. When you have a name like 'Fanny' people couldn't seem to control themselves when she told them. She had to warn him beforehand. "If i tell you, you have to promise to be mature about it. If you can't, I'd prefer if you'd use my last name."

William, though he was not inattentive, couldn't stop smiling at her Scottish accent which he thought was adorable. "Yes, ma'am, I promise to be mature."

She raised an eyebrow at his goofy grin but continued. "My name is Fanny."

She braced herself if she needed to punch him again but he just smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you miss Fanny."

* * *

 **Yeah, it just ends like that. Well, it's not the actual end, there will be more chapters.**


End file.
